WOMEN AGES 50+ FOR JANUARY 2025
barbiecat
Posts: 17,281 Member
Welcome to the new year---the ultimate clean slate
Whether you make plans, goals, resolutions, or create new systems or just put one foot in front of the other, this is a good place to share your journey with a supportive community.
Be sure to bookmark the page so you can find us again.
It helps if you sign your post with a name or nickname and a location, general or specific. It helps us to know each other better.
I like to start my day by reading this thread. It helps me remember that people care about me and I am supported in my very important life journey.
My word for 2025 is "enough". I have what I need to build the life I need
Barbie in NW WA
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Thank you Barbie ... and I am keeping you in my thoughts and prayers.3
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Barbie: Thank you for posting the 2025 Thread! You are in my thoughts and prayers. I just posted a fairly long post finishing December 2024. Again I wish everyone a Happy New Year as best as can be for the circumstances they find themselves in!
Best,
Rosemarie from GA3 -
Thanks Barbie
Keeping you in my thoughts and prayers !!2 -
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Barbie ~ Continued good thoughts for you as you go through this time without your Jake! So glad you had the support of his daughter and son and of your friends and his.
Allie ~ I know you love Delia and Miles so much but taking on the care of Delia for 3 months is a lot to ask with all your health problems. Please take care of your self and try to say NO when it gets to be too much.
Debbie ~ Your grocery store buys are outstanding.
Thanks to all of you who have been so kind to comment on our day at the hospital! I appreciate it so much.
The hospital that we have been going to (Wellstar Kennestone in Cobb County GA) is so large that I was in tears today and this evening trying to find out how to get to my Dh's room and back to the car in the parking lot. It is like a maze and they just keep adding new wings on to it. Each trip to and from the areas I need to be in is about 1/2 mile at least if not more. I am glad that my bad knees have gotten better.
Carol in Georgia
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Barbie … thank you for moving us into the New Year. Continuing to pray for you..
Carol … so thankful your husband insisted on the ER! Providence! Praying for both of you.
Beth5 -
(((Carol)))3
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2024 went by in a flash and was one of my better years recently!
- Learned to Fence
- Bought house, renovated house, moved into house
- Got new job which will start in March 2025
- Travelled to Canada
- Travelled across Australia by train – Indian Pacific from Perth to Adelaide to Sydney
- Completed Clinical Costing Fundamentals and Analyses course from the University of Melbourne
- Exercised most days
- Attended several concerts: Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra and Candlelight Concerts
- Read 42 books
What Machka was up to in 2024 ...For more detail, I'll bring out the ol' Wellness Wheel again ...
Physical - Exercise, Diet, Sleep
The ability to recognize that our behaviors have a significant impact on our wellness and adopting healthy habits (routine check-ups, balanced diets, exercise) while avoiding destructive ones.
Exercised 261 days of the year. While that was less than last year, given everything else that happened, it was pretty good.
Walked: 514 km
Cycled: 500 km
Worked out (gardening and lifting weights): 29 hours
Climbed stairs: 17 hours and 22 minutes
Fenced: 7 hours
Longest ride: 55.42 km in November.
Organised several cycling events.
Sleep: Got new mattress topper to make sleep more comfortable.
Diet: Not bad, but with moving house, things got a bit chaotic.
Health: Got a lot of dental work done.
Environmental
The ability to make a positive impact on our environment, be it in our workplace, our communities, or our planet. Decluttering a room, recycling the trash, or emptying the dishwasher are all small ways we can contribute to promoting a clutter-free, cleaner, organized, and more productive living space and calm home environment. Staying environmentally conscious by educating yourself about global environmental issues, taking care of the environment, and creating spaces that are conducive to positive emotions are other ways to focus on your environmental wellness.
Bought a house.
Had the floors redone.
Painted the main room and master bedroom a light blue.
Moved into the house.
Started work on the garden.
Started decluttering.
Finance and Occupational
Our ability to understand our financial situation and taking care of it in such a way that you are prepared for financial changes. Our desire to contribute in our careers to make a positive impact on the organizations we work in and to society as a whole. Budgeting, keeping financial health in mind, and finding the right job for you all fall under occupational wellness.
My job situation took a step toward being more stable and permanent.
I was employed by one department but had been seconded to another for 2 years. The 2 years will be complete in March 2025.
I preferred not to return to the previous position, so I have been applying for all sorts of jobs. In Australia, applying for positions is a fairly intense process including preparing a detailed resume and a position-specific supporting document. I have had quite a few interviews which also require research and preparation.
Just before Christmas, I received confirmation that I will work out my secondment to March, and then move into another position within the department where I want to work.
Social
Our ability to establish and maintain positive relationships with family, friends, and co-workers. Keeping a strong network of people that you feel connected to is key to your social wellness and can help fend off feelings of stress, isolation, loneliness, or even depression. Participating in group activities alongside family or friends, joining organizations, being open to new connections, and respecting and nourishing meaningful relationships is key to healthy social wellness.
Another Canada trip where we got to see more family and friends.
A trip across Australia (Perth to Adelaide to Sydney) by train where we got to meet many lovely people.
Attended a few concerts: Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra and Candlelight Concerts.
Met Richie Porte and other cycling “celebrities”.
Continued to build relationships and connections within the beekeeping community, our cycling community, the brain injury community and with my husband's (our) family.
Our gorgeous little grand-daughter turned two this year!
Plus we're getting to know our new neighbours.
Emotional
Our ability to acknowledge and share feelings of anger, fear, sadness, or stress; hope, love, joy, and happiness in a productive manner. With a strong foundation in emotional health, you leave yourself better equipped to adapt to any of life’s changes and cope with stress. This category could include self-care, saying no, and reaching out for help.
Self-care includes cycling, walking, climbing stairs, gardening, colouring, reading.
Self-care includes taking time off work and travelling! To various locations in Tasmania, across Australia, to New Zealand and to Canada!!
Read 42 books this year and accidentally completed 5 Goodreads challenges. Accidentally because I didn’t realise there were challenges until about 5 days before the end of the year.
Spiritual
The ability to develop congruency between values and actions and realize a common purpose that binds creation together. The spiritual wellness dimension refers to the beliefs, values, and ethics that guide you through life and inform your actions. It asks you to look inwards and explore your purpose and meaning in life through the spiritual lens to find peace.
I've been reading the Bible every day.
And enjoying music.
And enjoying nature.
Intellectual
Desire to learn new concepts, improve skills, and seek challenges in pursuit of lifelong learning. It encourages you to stay curious, learn, and take part in creative activities to ensure your mind stays healthy and active.
Completed Clinical Costing Fundamentals and Analyses course from the University of Melbourne.
Attended numerous other short online courses, webinars, etc. mostly in the area of Clinical Costing.
Machka in Oz
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Books I read in 2024
And which one stood out to me as the best one of the bunch?
The winner is:
Lisa Jewell for None of This is True
And as mentioned in my 2024 details in the post above, my accidental reading challenge wins.
Machka in Oz6 -
Well here in the states its almost midnight on the East coast! HAPPY NEW Year!!
We have thunderstorms and its raining..and a few people are popping off fireworks in the rain..but hopefully the rain deters that..
Im hoping 2025 is a healthy and happy new year to one and all.3 -
fireworks started about half hour ago- just before 9PM.
Good thing dh is a sound sleeper- he will be getting up in an hour and a half to go to work.4 -
Machka - I grew up with Christmas decorations only being up from about 3 days before Christmas to if we were lucky New Years Eve. Our house was very tiny, wood heat and we had a real tree so I understand the reasoning.
I tend to put my decorations up the first weekend in December and take them down the first weekend in January.
I am taking the tree down today but may leave the other decorations up until Sunday. We’ll see.
I may just keep going at it today and tomorrow.
My brother has an all regions dvd player, he bought it to buy concert DVD’s from Europe because he can get the bands he likes at an affordable price.
Terri - 10 years is a long time. You w done so well with your daily habits.
Lanette - thank you, I love how close we are too. She told me yesterday that she was glad that she had a way of asking if she could come for a sleepover on kids messenger. It’s not like her mother wouldn’t have asked for her, but she thought it was great she could ask herself.
I’m sure that it’s because her brother can just text me to ask that it was bothering her.
I don’t know how people can keep up with things, wages and increases in fixed incomes are not keeping up.
Kylia - sounds like a peaceful morning. My DH has trouble remembering to take his meds too. I have a pretty wooden crate that we keep our meds in. He seems to be doing better lately.
Heather - I love your Instagram post. I can’t wait to see what you do this year.
Lisa - that freezer door is opening here this week too.
I think that all children need a safe place and agree that too many don’t have it.
How terrifying for Kelsey. Can they not restrict his access if he keeps behaving this way? What a trauma for the kids to have to endure.
Corey isn’t wrong about the wood heat. I love the warmth it gives once it gets going but will never live with it again.
Flea - I’ve always wanted to take one of those air boat rides.
Tina - you have me intrigued about your trip.
Michele - I haven’t used mine, but it’s supposed to roll, but I’m sure you could use it just over the puzzle. The texture of it keeps your pieces in place though, they may stick to the bottom of it and end up lost.
Carol - What an ending to your year. Hope your DH recovers well.
Carol we have a couple hospitals like that here, it’s become almost unmanageable for people. My young cousin had to walk the equivalent of almost two blocks to get to the high risk maternity ward she needed. They performed the test and she was almost back to her car when they called to tell her they needed to do more tests. She hadn’t been told to wait. She said she cried all the way back. She did deliver a healthy baby 2 days later.
Allie - What great photos of the grands.
Rosemarie - that’s a nice little surprise. I hope you can do it all with your windfall.
Mo - I hope you enjoy your New Year at home.
I got my new shelf together and had a great little helper for most of it. I didn’t even have to tighten the screws after her. I ran out to take some garbage out and came back on and she was reading the instructions. She has decided that next year the village will go on it. I think that’s great, I love the looks of it in the China cabinet but it’s a lot of work to accomplish.
She left to go for a family sleepover at her Mom’s best friend’s house. Their daughter’s are 8 and 5 and the eldest and Michaela consider themselves besties. They are 3 months apart and for the first year of their lives saw each other weekly at minimum.
It’s fortunate that the husbands get along as well. Poor Jonah is outnumbered, but they have every Nintendo gaming system there is so should be quite content.
I ended up continuing to take decorations down. It wasn’t my intention, but I couldn’t find the tree bag when I did a quick glance through the totes that were on the deck. They were covered in snow and it was cold so I ended up bringing them in to search through.
So I gave the cabinet part of my China cabinet back in order, the tree down and put away. I have a lot left to do tomorrow but I can putter at it.
I tweaked my back a bit today working on my shelf so hope it’s better tomorrow.
Rodger fell asleep about 730, I’m still up, watching the Nashville NYE event on CBS. I so love country music.
Speaking of, Michaela told me yesterday that she is going to be a country singer. Her friend, who is 5, was going to join her band but she only wants Rock and Michaela said she can’t have that. So they won’t have a band together, she’s named her non-existent as yet band, Micki and the Beats.
Her parents bought me a new Dolly album that is actually Dolly Parton and Family, Smoky Mountain DNA. It has some very old Bluegrass and country on it. I also have Dolly’s Rockstar album. She wanted to listen to the Rockstar album but had me switch to the new album after only one side. She was really enjoying the new one when her mother arrived. We had listened to one whole album, there are three in the set.
Well I have rambled on long enough.
I hope everyone has a Happy New Year, your pets all survive the fireworks and 2025 brings you health and happiness.
Tracey in Edmonton
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Happy new year all !
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Tracey - Isn't it wonderful how the kids are undaunted by all those instructions. It all seems to make perfect sense to them, at a glance. Plus they haven't our fear of making mistakes. Michaela will go far. The shelves look great! So glad you had a good visit.
It's a new year, and so far I have zested two lemons and squeezed three. They are soaking in the icing sugar before I whip the cream. It's a no-stir ice cream from Nigella. Dessert for Burns Night.
Now to start the next chapter of my book. I'm just going to ramble until I find a thread!
Love to Barbie. I've been on this thread over twelve years.
Heather UK xxxxxxxx4 -
Here are some fun suggestions for brightening up 2025.
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2025/jan/01/101-ways-healthier-happier-five-minutes
You're welcome. Love Heather UK xxxxxxxx3 -
Goal ideas ...
And more goal ideas ...
Machka in Oz4 -
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Happy New Year! 🎈🎊🥳 New here 😉. I’ve been on MyFitnessPal for at least 10 years but not in the community. Looking forward to making new friends!9
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Carol-prayers for you and your husband-hope the stents do their job. I never really thought about them stopping doing their job. Hospitals can be mazes.
Rosemarie-I try to do some sort of walking everyday. I do what I record as my "functional strength training (a series of stretches, etc. and usually finish it with around six minutes of walking with weights around house. If the weather or darkness doesn't work for outdoor walking, I will again walk around house to finish active minutes goal on watch if I haven't. I do love my outdoor walks though.
Kylia-just noticed next Monday they are saying maybe 12-14 inches of snow?! Hope it happens Monday night into Tuesday-Tuesday is a WFH day for me.
Barbie-your statement "I have want I need to build the life I need" really resonated with me this morning. Thinking of you as you engage in the next walk of life.
Hope everyone wakes fresh for the New Year. Still don't have that checkbook balanced and bills paid (I have always done that before New Year!). I am really doing it before anything else this am.
Going to YS and family and have pork and sauerkraut this afternoon. Will be back home in time to watch Ohio State-Oregon later.
Take care all,
Ginny in Ohio
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Happy New Year!
Barbie Thank you for leading us into the New Year and New Month. You truly are an inspiration to us! Hugs for you as you navigate this next chapter in your life.
10 hours of training yesterday for work! Found out on December 9th that I had 4 training modules due on the 31st. These were ones I did 2 years ago for work, but they changed their training system. Some of the modules I was able to test out of which means I retained some of it. Not bad for someone who rarely has her hands on a mower these days! DH actually waited until I was done with it to bring me an alcoholic beverage. We then watched Fast Five (a Fast and Furious movie) and toasted in the New Year. It was a good day. Not much movement, but met a goal. I did ask my DH if he ever thought he would have spent 30 New Years with the same lady? His response was yes when we were sitting on the porch swing shortly after we got together and he told me he would take care of me for life. So Sweet! I don't remember it, but will now! He really was a playboy before we met.
Carol Prayers and hugs for continued healing for DH! That is so scary.
Ginny Our news hasn't said anything yet about accumulation amounts, that was what two people have told me though. Tuesday is also a WFH day for me-kind of....The kittens are being spayed on Monday and it is suggested that they be under supervision for first 24 hours home. I told them I was staying home that day. I will use that day for work training stuffs. I too wanted to balance checkbooks before New Year, but didn't complete. So will do that today. House is picked up but needs dusted and it is laundry day. Strange but another system that fell into place. I chose Wednesdays for laundry and bed changes as we rarely have anything going on those evenings. It also frees up the weekend for whatever plans. Slowly but surely getting some systems in place.
Tracey I am glad to see someone else with evening care routine listed! I thought I was the only one who struggles with that!
Machka Thank you for the Gentle Goals.
Make the best choices you can today!
Be kind to yourself!
Have a wonderful day!
Love,
Kylia in Ohio2 -
Day 1
Since it was blowing a gale again and threatening rain, I figured I'd do a walk/jog rather than go cycling. I jogged (slowly) for 1.7 km of the 5.3 km distance, and walked (briskly) the rest of the distance. That's better than my first attempt at jogging in recent months which took place about a week ago. I got home just as it started to rain again.
I have been working on the bedroom and dressing room sorting, organising etc.
Yesterday, I hung all my decorative, dressy scarves (not winter scarves) on the line outside to blow around in the wind, and even left them overnight only bringing them in before the first band of rain today. They do smell less of dust and more of outside now! They live on a coat rack in the dressing room in case I need them. I used to use them quite regularly when I was cold but I haven't been cold since 2016. Nevertheless, they look nice on the coat rack in the dressing room and it's possible I could be cold one day again.
Today I've been going through purses/handbags and taking stuff out of them.
Just continuing what I've been doing throughout this Christmas break.
Machka in Oz
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2025 Goals
My 2025 goals are a continuation of my past goals based on my ToDo list and my 50Things list with reference to a Wellness Wheel.
Upcoming Appointments - these are at the top of my list. The things I need to deal with in the next few weeks.
Intellectual/Occupational/Financial or Education/Career: Advancing my career. Moving from reasonable to proficient at SQL. Improving my knowledge of data analyses. Brushing up on cost accounting.
Also, I want to have a closer look at our financial situation to see where we can save money and to make sure we're on top of things. There is one thing in particular I need to review soon.
The goal is to expand my skillset and to improve our financial situation.
Medical: I want to create medical record binders (and on the computer) for both of us, in case something happens. But hoping that we have minimal medical issues this year.
The goal is to keep us as healthy as we can be and to ensure we have information at our fingertips.
Fitness/Sports > Cycling > Audax Tasmania: There are a number of fitness/sport things I'd like to try, with a focus on cycling, and a large part of my cycling endeavours includes my volunteer work with Audax Tasmania ... and maybe even riding some events again myself!
On my 50Things list I have all sorts of things like learning to swim, riding a horse for the first time, trying archery, learning to dance. Maybe this might be the year to try a bit of that. Plus I’d like to do a bit more fencing.
The goal it to improve my fitness level.
House > Office > Computer become more specific as they go along. I have a number of thing which need to be done in the house as I unpack and declutter, but most importantly the home office needs a whole lot of work. And along with that I need to organise the drives on my computer into a better filing system.
The goal is to have an organised and decluttered house and computer system.
The goal is also to ensure all paperwork is up to date and accessible by both of us.
Garden: I would like to have my front garden plan quite well developed by the end of the year.
The goal is to have a pleasant, creative, relaxing and functional area outside for reading, exercise and socialising.
Spiritual: Continue to read the Bible every day. And attend church a little bit more often – we've got some plans in this regard.
The goal is to learn, relearn, revitalise.
Emotional/Social/Recreation: More creativity, relaxation, connections. I have all sorts of things on my 50Things list like doing more with my photography, playing the piano again, working on my website and more.
The goal is balance. Doing a variety of things that aren't just work and education.
Of course, I have specific details for each of these categories in my head, and written down in some cases, because I like my goals to be S.M.A.R.T.
Machka in Oz3 -
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Morning, my darlings, and Happy New Year from me and Egg and Corey,
Barbie - Thank you so much for creating us this place to share our journey.
I was a kind and loving wife this morning and ground him some coffee beans, brewed his coffee and took him a cup for the holiday lie-in he is enjoying this morning. His work only has four holidays - Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's Day and July 4th, so he enjoys the few he's given. Having three in this short time frame is pure luxury to him. He finds it surprising that I do things like making him coffee, but if he wasn't grateful for it, I probably wouldn't, so there's that. Not sure anyone's ever been good to him before. 🙀😜
Drama continues with the grands: Trigger warning for anyone not up to stress right now.The saga goes on - the ex told my daughter he wouldn't give the kids back when she landed in Georgia. The military AND civilian police have gotten involved, and my 8-year-old granddaughter and 4-year-old grandson will be escorted to the airport tomorrow morning (I think) to be reunited with their mother. Either that, or she will meet them at the police station and get a taxi back to the airport,
I couldn't really sort all that out, as my daughter's texts are terse and stressed. The police were apparently too overtaxed for the holiday to deal with it today. My daughter's flight changes to accommodate the man's deliberately spiteful actions cost her $1,500, and on top of that, she's just an emotional wreck. I'm trying not to think about it too much because there is less than nothing I can do to change anything whatsoever about the situation. Heck of a way to start their New Year. So for now, I have written it out here, and I am calmly putting it to the side.
It's oddly helpful that Egg is oblivious. She's just enjoying the heater I've got blowing on (and past) my chair, and the occasional pet:
Did I mention I'm going to stick with original Medicare and avoid dealing with insurance companies at all? Lots of research, time, looking at options, and decided it makes no sense for me to put my care in the hands of an insurance company that can deny care for its own reasons. While they can't deny me a policy, that doesn't mean they can't change their minds next year about covering a service that I need - and I've got too much going on to risk that stress on top of it. The VA will take care of most of what Medicare doesn't pay, including prescriptions.sspell1958 wrote: »Happy New Year! 🎈🎊🥳 New here 😉. I’ve been on MyFitnessPal for at least 10 years but not in the community. Looking forward to making new friends!
Welcome! Keep finding your way back to this thread by bookmarking up at the top. Tell us what you'd like us to call you, and if you sign your name with that and a location, it helps us keep folks sorted out. We talk about our entire lives, as that's what it takes to get and stay healthy, but we do avoid politics and we don't proselytize any religions. Glad you're here! Note - these threads move fast, but just drop in any conversation you like. Don't feel you must reply to everyone.
So... last, but probably not least, I effectively weigh the same amount now that I did last year, and remain (at 155) at the bottom of the maintenance range I set for myself last year (155-160). Am happy with my weight, my mental outlook is significantly better, because my overall health is significantly better. Hope 2025 goes as well.
My main objective for January is to establish the systems that will keep me healthy and happy throughout the year by stacking small new habits onto my already established good habits.
One thing at a time.
Love y'all!
Lisa in AR5 -
Thank you Barbie for another clean slate! We appreciate you. Continued prayers for your new path. Hugs!!
Okie in the TX Hill Country2 -
Carol - I’m so glad you were at the hospital and your husband was able to receive quick care. What a scary time for you both.
Okie in the TX Hill Country3 -
(((Lisa)))2
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No work today but the Y opens late so I did a Boot DVD at home. Yesterday I took a walk twice around the block and boy was my heel hurting later that evening. Now I know that I should only go once. Think I’ll go to Food Lion to get chicken and some cake mix since that’s on sale with a digital coupon.
Ken & Lynette came here last night. I think they liked the dinner. Had rolls, honey glazed carrots, unsweetened homemade applesauce (I wasn’t sure if they’d like it unsweetened so I put packets of sugar on the table), tater tots, a pineapple casserole, roasted vegetables. For dessert I made a chocolate pudding pie because I know Ken likes that and a pineapple angel food cake along with ice cream.
Carol – ever so glad your dh was in the hospital when it happened. How are you doing?
monday Vince told me it was supposed to be in the 60’s so I changed out of my sweater into a ¾ length shirt. I should have worn a jacket or something but he was in short sleeves and wasn’t wearing a jacket so I didn’t. Now my voice is so raspy, throat scratchy and on top of that my sinuses are acting up. I took a decongestant and I know that I’m going to be real thirsty. Not that that part is a bad thing.
Ordered my new mahjongg card. I know it won’t come until the beginning of April. To be honest, I’m getting a bit tired of this card. But that always happens right before I get the new card.
The plan for today is to put away all my holiday shirts (that means that I have to get out the stepstool) and get the legos for my neighbor, which Vince won’t be happy about. But I want to do it before we start bringing in the Christmas decorations. Speaking of which, Ken was saying last night that we’re supposed to be getting a few Alberta clippers. Fun. I want to get in as much as we can before it gets too too cold
Thinking of barbie at this time
We didn’t have a lot of fireworks or gun shots. Or maybe I just slept thru them...lol
Tracey – does you brother go to the website for Bandcamp? Vince gets a lot of his foreign CD’s from there. Ones from Germany etc.
Chewy “helped” me exercise today. Especially now that they’re allowed downstairs
sspell – welcome
Ginny – I’m like you, I really prefer to walk outdoors, regardless of the weather. Unless it’s really raining hard, I just take the umbrella with me
Lynette is still talking about buying a condo in our complex. For some reason, I’m really not looking forward to it. She wants to be our neighbors. Maybe it’s because I find the constant “I love you”s and texts just a bit over the top. And the constant getting Ken’s lunch to him, etc.
It was funny, when the ball dropped, for the first time it was hard to reach over to kiss Vince. Guess that’s just a sign that we’re getting older.
Michele NC6
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